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Chandelier
"The queen of the night" –Whitney Houston "Chandelier" is the first track from Sia's sixth studio album, 1000 Forms of Fear. Released on March 17, 2014, the song serves as the album's lead single. Composition "Chandelier" was written by Sia and Jesse Shatkin, and was produced by Greg Kurstin and Shatkin. It is described as an electropop ballad, featuring "soaring" synthesisers, "militant" drums, and hip hop beats with electronica, R&B, and reggae influences. The song features Sia's "jaw-dropping" vocal performance.Gordon, Jeremy (8 May 2014). "Sia: "Chandelier" | Tracks". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved 2016-02-07. The song is written in the key of B♭ minor and it follows the chord progression of Bbm–Gb7–Ab–Fm."Sia "Chandelier" Sheet Music in Bb Minor (transposable) - Download & Print". musicnotes.com. Retrieved 2016-02-07. Lyrically, "Chandelier" has a sad theme talking about "the glitter and fatigue of a party girl's life".Ehrlich, Brenna (17 March 2014). "Sia's New YOLO Song 'Chandelier' Could Have Been Rihanna's Next Hit". MTV. Retrieved 2016-02-07. John Walker from MTV Buzzworthy opined that the song has a dark theme, "toeing the line between celebration and self-destruction as it becomes increasingly more blurred".Walker, John (17 March 2014). "Sia's New Song, 'Chandelier,' May Be The Saddest DGAF Anthem Ever". MTV. Retrieved 2016-02-07. At the song's opening, Sia sings "Party girls don't get hurt, can't feel anything... I push it down" over a reggae-influenced background. During the chorus, she chants, "I'm gonna swing from the chandelier, from the chandelier/I'm gonna live like tomorrow doesn't exist, like it doesn't exist". A few critics compared the song's musical style to works done by Rihanna, including Jeremy Gordon from Pitchfork Media, and Melinda Newman of HitFix.Newman, Melinda (17 March 2014). "Sia channels Rihanna in the New Single, 'Chandelier'". Commercial Perfomance In the United States, "Chandelier" debuted at number 75 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart dated 31 May 2014. It peaked at number eight on the chart, becoming the first top ten single by Sia to appear on the chart as a lead artist. The song reached one million units sold in the US in August 2014, and surpassed the 2 million mark in sales in January 2015. The song also reached number six on the Canadian Hot 100. In June 2014, the single was certified platinum by Music Canada. "Chandelier" was successful in Oceania and Europe, peaking in the top five on 20 national record charts including: France, and Poland (number one); Australia, Italy and Norway (number two); New Zealand and Slovakia (number three); and Norway and Scotland (number five). The single was certified quadruple platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA), and platinum by the Recorded Music NZ (RMNZ). In the United Kingdom, "Chandelier" charted at number six on the UK Singles Chart. In France, the single was the third best-selling single of 2014, according to Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Live Perfomances Sia performed "Chandelier" on The Ellen DeGeneres Show on 19 May 2014, with Ziegler recreating the choreography in the music video.Sia also performed the song on Late Night with Seth Meyers on 9 June 2014, with Girls star Lena Dunham performing new choreography. In July 2014, Sia performed the song on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, and Ziegler taught host Jimmy Kimmel and his sidekick Guillermo some of the dance moves from the music video. In July 2014, Sia performed the song on the VH1's show "SoundClash", along with her songs "Elastic Heart" and "Big Girls Cry" from the album. Sia sang the song on Dancing with the Stars, with Ziegler dancing a duet with Allison Holker, and at the 2014 We Can Survive Concert at the Hollywood Bowl. In February 2015, Sia sang the song in a cluttered apartment set for the 2015 Grammy Awards telecast. Ziegler danced in a cluttered apartment with actress Kristen Wiig. For all of these performances, Sia sang the track with her back to the camera. She performed the song on Saturday Night Live''in January 2015, veiled, with a sad-looking mime who performed the lyrics in American sign language. Usages in Media The song is also featured in the television shows ''Hit the Floor, Wonderland, Selfie, Unreal, Please Like Me, Transparent, Shades of Blue, American Dad!, and Dance Moms. A karaoke version was briefly played in the 2016 movie Sing. The 2017 film Happy End written and directed by Michael Haneke includes a karaoke cover of the song that has been described as "the movie's most indelible scene". Tracklist Credits Credits for "Chandelier" are adapted from CD single liner notes ; Recording locations ;* Vocals recorded at Hot Closet Studios, Echo Park, California ;* Engineered at Echo Studios, Los Angeles, California ;* Mixed at Larrabee Sound Studios, North Hollywood, California ; Personnel ;* Songwriter, Lead vocals – Sia Furler ;* Songwriter – Jesse Shatkin ;* Producers – Greg Kurstin, Jesse Shatkin ;* Drums, guitar, mellotron, piano – Greg Kurstin ;* Drums, keyboards – Jesse Shatkin ;* Programming – Jesse Shatkin ;* Engineering – Greg Kurstin, Jesse Shatkin ;* Additional engineering – Alex Pasco, Delbert Bowers ;* Mixing – Manny Marroquin ;* Assistant mixing – Chris Galland, Delbert Bowers Critical reception "Chandelier" garnered mostly positive reviews from music critics. Andrew Trendall from Gigwise wrote that the song "springboards Sia from a behind-the-scenes genius into a superstar in her own right".Trendall, Andrew (14 March 2014). "Sia unveils teaser of brand new single, 'Chandelier'". Gigwise. Retrieved 2016-02-07. Gordon from Pitchfork Media praised Sia's vocal performance on the track and commented that the track "is enough to make you want to swing from a chandelier". Bradley Stern from the website MuuMuse labelled "Chandelier" the best pop single of 2014, complimenting Sia's songwriting credits and her voice on the song.Stern, Bradley (17 March 2014). ""Chandelier": Sia Swings In With The Best Pop Single of 2014 So Far". MuuMuse. Retrieved 2016-02-07. In a VH1 article, Emily Exton shared that thought, deeming it the best song Sia had ever written. Writing for Time magazine, Jamieson Cox deemed "Chandelier" a "disarming, unforgettable listen that'll make you glad Sia kept this one for herself."Cox, Jamieson (17 March 2014). "Sia's "Chandelier" Is the Year's Most Sobering Party Anthem: Listen". [http://time.com TIME]. Retrieved 2016-02-07. In a less enthusiastic review, Melinda Newman from HitFix thought that Sia "can do a lot better than this". Accolades Billboard listed "Chandelier" as the best song of 2014.Billboard Staff (11 December 2014). "Billboard.com's 10 Best Songs of 2014: Critics' Picks". [http://www.billboard.com/ Billboard]. Retrieved 2016-02-07. The song received nominations at the 57th Grammy Awards for Song of the Year, Record of the Year and Best Pop Solo Performance, with its video receiving a nomination for Best Music Video.Grebey, James (5 December 2014). "Grammys 2015 Nominees: Sam Smith, Beyonce, Iggy Azalea, and More". [http://www.spin.com/ SPIN]. Retrieved 2016-02-06. Music Video The music video for "Chandelier" was released on 6 May 2014. It features Maddie Ziegler, a then-11-year-old dancer.http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/05/10/sia-chandelier-music-video_n_5298152.html In the video, Ziegler wears a medium-length blonde wig matching the one that Sia used to promote the album. Throughout the video, Ziegler dances in a deserted, dirty apartment "while spinning, kicking, leaping, crawling, falling, twirling and hiding herself behind window drapes". An alternative one-take version of the clip was released in June 2014. Ziegler was personally asked by Sia to appear in the video via Twitter.http://www.vulture.com/2014/05/maddie-ziegler-sia-chandelier-video-chat.html The video was directed by Sia and Daniel Askill, and was choreographed by Ryan Heffington. Charts Weekly Charts Year-End Charts Certifications Lyrics References Hear: Chandelier Spotify SoundCloud See also: 1000 Forms of Fear Category:2010s Category:2014 Category:Songs